RACISM OFFENDS ME. I am not a racist, but I call it like I see it. If you can’t handle criticism, you may be looking at the wrong website. Any constructive criticism is of course welcome. Anything else, may be used for our amusement and posted in a later article or somewhere on the website at anytime.

Hurricane Katrina has become a center of controversy in America, certainly. Everyone is absolutely livid at the slow response of government from the state level up through the federal level. The loudest opinion in regard to that slow response falls mainly against the federal government, claiming that the slow response was due solely to the supposed racist views of the Bush Administration on a population comprised mainly of poor black people. USA TODAY quotes Rae Clifton as saying, “If it had been a 17-year-old white cheerleader who was caught in the water, somebody would have tried to get there faster, but because it was poor people…caught in a situation, it was, ‘OK…we’ll get there after a while.’” Also quoted, Michael Fauntroy states, “Some of the concern I’m hearing (from blacks) is that New Orleans is going to be rebuilt but gentrified is such a way that they can’t go back.” USA TODAY goes on to quote Fauntroy as stating that the administration needs to allay those fears or risk “long-term negative consequences.” Many others that have been quoted and paraphrased on radio talk shows, television news productions, and newspapers have echoed those statements. The loudest opinions can be summed up simply saying that the government (specifically the Bush Administration) is racist and if they don’t hand over a whole bunch of money and do what they are told, they will only be proving the point. I could paraphrase the Bush Administrations response to that as, “bullshit”. (I just figured, since he is from Texas.)

As far as Hurricane Katrina is concerned, I have seen and heard countless stories about the apparent incompetence of the government at all levels in handling this disaster. No doubt, action should have been taken even before the hurricane struck. The Los Angeles Times reported that state and local officials of New Orleans had known for quite sometime that a hurricane type disaster of a high enough magnitude could be absolutely devastating and cost thousands of lives. Plans were drawn up, however, they were never put fully in effect. The now ex-director of FEMA, Mr. Brown, not only hesitated grossly in his response and handled the situation in a sloppy fashion, but quickly came under fire when it was brought forward that he apparently had very little, if any, prior experience to prepare him for such an appointed position. Police were reported to be looting in the stores, and running over animals in their patrol cars. The state government was said, by a California radio talk show, to have requested a sum of money, years prior, to reinforce levees in New Orleans. The federal government apparently denied the request, some believe, to use that money for the war effort in Iraq. Likewise, there was a story (little known) run prior to the hurricane that an evacuation order was not given until President Bush himself called into the state of Louisiana and strongly “suggested” the action. I have heard story after story in regards the negligent response this disaster, however, I have not heard one story which points to racism as a motive. I have seen absolutely NO SUPPORTING EVIDENCE FOR THIS CLAIM.

Rather than racism, I see another inherent problem. Society as a whole has been moving in a dangerous direction for a long time. I used to wonder about it when I was younger, and now I don’t wonder about it as much as I worry about it, having a wife, three stepchildren, and a young son of my own. (I might as well say a wife and four children, but that is a completely different article.) At one point in time, parents raised their children not only with love and compassion, but also with strict discipline. It used to be that this attitude was expected of you as a parent, and that any deviation from that meant, socially, that you were basically unfit to raise a child. Today, we have shifted in a completely different direction. In the household, it is becoming increasingly rare for there to be any kind of a physical or corporal punishment. Parents are increasingly afraid of what other people may think when they become aware of such discipline. (There is a difference between discipline and abuse, buddy, keep reading…) Parents are worried that kids are going to go tell someone at school or church that mommy or daddy hit them. Why? Because those institutions have been given more authority to get involved in the raising of children. So? Child services really needs no reason to step in a take your children from you anymore. Now, there are, without a doubt, excellent reasons to have some of these regulations and institutions in place! There are definitely abusive people in this world! However, where do we finally draw the line and make a distinction between abuse and discipline? So far, we haven’t. The effect? Children are slowly but surely becoming aware of this, if only on a basic level. It is one of many ways that children have been allowed more and more freedom, to the point beyond responsibility. Where am I going? Follow me…

Have you ever been around a child that has been raised with no discipline at all? If so, you probably feel the way I do about it. Thank God they aren’t my kid. When that same child is catered to every time they cry about not getting their way, then pretty soon they have learned that they can cry at any time and get exactly what they want. If you are a parent, then you probably know (you certainly should) that it is not a good idea to hand a child that can barely walk a steak knife and tell that child not to hurt themselves, and then turn your back on him or her for a few hours. Invariably, they are going to cut themselves or someone else, and destroy a whole bunch of furniture along the way. So, if you gave in, congratulate yourself. You have just enabled that child to hurt himself, hurt you, and destroy your house. And as the child grows older, and you grow more submissive to that child’s demands, human nature is that the child will continue to do whatever is pleasing and advantageous. The child will never respect anyone until they are placed in a situation where they are forced to learn mutual respect.

Back to black and white. Here is where this article is going to take a turn and get a whole lot of people pissed off. In just the same way that anti-abuse organizations came into being for very good reason so did institutions such as the NAACP. Racism is undoubtedly one of the worst ideas that can infiltrate and fester in a culture. Throughout American history, we have seen horrific examples of the negative effects, and unfortunately, it still exists and festers is some areas. My exposure to racism all my life has been what is commonly known as “reverse discrimination”, or in other words racism from other races toward whites. I assure you, there is no such animal as “reverse racism”. It is simply a way to classify racism against white people as something other than racism. Racism is racism, and it is truly evil. Our fights against racism have taken us on equal rights marches and gone straight to the top levels of government. Racism has been effectively reduced in this nation in many ways, although not eradicated. However, there are a variety of ethnic groups in this country, and within each group is a segment that seems to cry racism at every turn. Where do we draw the line?

During my employ as a mall security guard, I was caught up into one confrontation or another almost constantly. These confrontations, regardless of how they start, have a tendency to end up as them against security, and quite often, supposed minority groups were involved in the event. Granted, those situations can become very stressful for everyone involved, and tempers easily flair, however, on the majority of occasions when I had to escort someone who happened to be black off of the property, I was usually called a racist. Why? For doing my job? If a black officer happened to be there as well, he was called a “sell-out” for wearing the uniform and badge, and not allowing anyone to disturb the peace. Again…for doing his job? The management that ran our security office and the mall was constantly worried about such accusations. The concern would take us finally to a point where we could not effectively do our job. The very attitude that management staff held affirms the validity of the racism claim within those small segments of ethnic groups, therefore the problem only grows worse.

As a truck driver, I can tell you that I did not particularly feel welcome at the TA truck stop in Indianapolis, which is comprised of a majority black population. It wasn’t the fact that most everyone else was black, but it was probably the quality of service that I could not get from the restaurant employees, although, everyone else managed to get quick friendly service. The lack of service, and general negative attitude of the waiter, along with the fact that I was the only white person in the place, quickly leads me to the conclusion that those people did not like me because of the color of my skin. However, with no proof of such accusations, I cannot make that claim, as tempting as it may be. I was sitting in a section of the restaurant that does not lend to high visibility of the patrons, and perhaps my waiter was already having an extremely busy night (as he appeared to be moving quite quickly from table to kitchen to table). I admit, I had to study the situation before I realized the likely culprit of my lack of service.

Ok, let’s look at the past. As citizens of the country, many minorities have had to grow from a sort of infancy to catch up with the white population as citizens. That is not to say that they are any less important by any means! Simply, that from a history of slavery, whites were already voting when blacks were gaining their freedom. Whites were already running businesses when Mexicans were starting to do cheap labor. Whites had somehow already built a nation, when they finally figured out that the native American cultures maybe should be treated more fairly. Minorities, through years of protest and movement have helped to shape America into what it should be, a land of equality.

Now the present. I have grown up in a time, where I have never known people to be treated badly because of the color of their skin on a large scale, but I have heard the racial jokes that get tossed around in all ethnic communities, as we all have. I have begun growing old in a time where the word minority is a joke when applied to ethnicity. In fact, as a white male, especially in California, I should be considered a minority most places I go. I was not raised to see the color of someone’s skin. I was raised to look beyond. But, as I grew older, there is almost no way to avoid the constant cry of racism. If it isn’t a segment of ethnic population talking about being put down because of their skin color, then it’s some politician talking about how we need equal rights for African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Asian Americans, and everyone else. All the while, making the point, that we cannot just be Americans.

Lets tie some things together. This government and other organizations have helped to alleviate racism in a large way, but now, those who screamed racism for a purpose in the past, are still screaming racism today, but for what I tend to see as the wrong reasons. In this country, we the people are largely in agreement that racism is a horrible thing. The difference is between those who think it is nearly a won battle, and those who think that the powers that be are just as racist today as they were yesterday. A recent poll displayed in USA TODAY showed an overwhelming majority of whites felt that President Bush cared about blacks, while an equally overwhelming majority of blacks felt directly the opposite. The reason that I offer is quite simple. First of all, we shouldn’t even have to look at white opinion versus black opinion. Second, I would be willing to bet that the divide is equally as pronounced between the conservative and liberal groups of people. These are our political lines. If you follow recent history, President Bush, a Republican from Texas is obviously a conservative. The vast majority of the political representatives that are crying out against Bush, are opposite party, liberal philosophy, and trying very hard to appeal to the poor black communities of Louisiana. In a broader sense, this has gone on through the years, as you can look back and see that race was not nearly such a large political issue during the Clinton administration, which was representative of the mostly liberal Democratic party.

And now, let’s get to the point. The point of this article is not to bash Democrats or Republicans, nor to argue liberalism versus conservatism. Each party is a point of view, and both are equally important. Blacks have come a very long way in this country. I don’t say that from a superior white male point of view, but from the point of view of an American who is proud of that heritage and tradition in my country. The laws of this country gave black men and women weapons to fight against the powers that once held them back and gain equality. In essence, the steak knife from the earlier example.

If racism does still exist in this country, I do not believe it originates from the top of an inefficient government system that couldn’t respond to a devastating hurricane. Rather, I believe it originates from the very politicians who would play on the tragedy, the poverty, and the strong deep emotions that have always run through a culture known for it’s soul, in order to achieve their own goals, regardless of the cost to the people. The same politicians that are rallying the racism issue have been living a wealthy privileged life. If poverty is such an issue to them, why haven’t they done anything about it themselves, instead of placing the blame on others? Simply put, they would let a population become enraged to the verge of beginning a racial war that would tear at the heart of this country, rather than inconvenience themselves. Why? Selfish motivation. Regardless of what happens as a result of the racial tension created, when the time comes, we will look to them for support and place them in office, and continue to pay their wages from our taxes. They are just like the irresponsible parent who hands a child a steak knife and sets them loose in the house. Horribly irreparable damage could be done, but in the end, they would not feel inclined to accept the blame.

The federal government, state governments, and local governments all share blame in the lack of immediate response to Katrina. Everyone is busy pointing fingers at everyone else, or trying to play the political arena in the face of very real life and death struggles of those Americans affected by this tragedy. I do not believe at all, that racism played any role in government response. There are those of you who do, from all walks of life and with all different colors of skin. We should be able to discuss and debate this issue without having to sidestep political incorrectness or worrying about being angry at each other. Whether we agree or disagree, we are all Americans. We MUST NOT let ANYONE tear us apart. As the pledge of allegiance says, “…one nation, [under God], indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”